RTEA Elite cool off Sauna Heat

IBC RTEA Elite smashed their way to the bank and the $5000 first prize in dominant fashion to capture the ninth edition of the Village Camp Shotgun road tennis tournament on Sunday night.

Playing against the highly-rated Sauna Heat 1, RTEA Elite produced an impressive performance to emerge victorious 3-1 in the best-of-five team tournament.

It marked the second straight year that a team from the RTEA Academy won the competition.

The result was somewhat surprising, with the spectators at the packed Deighton ‘Pa’ Roach Facility eagerly anticipating the matchup to go the distance.

But RTEA Elite signalled their intentions to wrap up the contest early when their junior Kenoja Belgrave totally outplayed Sauna’s Zion Moore 21-14 in the opening game.

Belgrave, a student of Parkinson Memorial, was large and in charge from the opening serve, and he established a 9-4 lead with superb shots from both his forehand and backhand.

In fact, it looked as though Belgrave would deliver the first ‘sow’ of the night as he built a comfortable 18-9 lead.

However, Moore fought back valiantly to reach double digits and avoid the embarrassment.

In need of a victory, Sauna called out the number one ranked Mark ‘Venom’ Griffith to face Tyrease Holder.

Griffith took command from the get go, winning the first five points of the game, before Holder launched a brief comeback which got him within one at (6-5).

But Griffith showed why he is regarded as one of the best defenders in the history of road tennis, blunting attack after attack from his younger opponent to the delight of the large crowd on hand.

In one rally, Griffith retrieved a powerful shot by Holder, fell down and got up in time to continue the rally which he eventually won.

He too looked set to hand his opponent a ‘sow’ with the score at 19-9, but Holder unleashed a series of thunderous forehand and backhand shots before eventually succumbing 21-11 to Griffith.

Griffith’s performance would be the lone bright spark on the night for the Sauna, however.

With the scores levelled at 1-1, RTEA Elite’s Curtis Jones manhandled Shamon Weekes 21-9 in a brutal display of attacking tennis.

Jones held an early 7-2 lead, but Weekes got back within two (7-5) before the carnage was unleased.

Jones hit a thunderous forehand winner down the line to make it 13-7 and followed it up with a crosscourt forehand which Weekes could only watch as it sped past him.

In one of the best points of the match, the two players engaged in a 26-ball rally, which ended when Weekes sent a forehand into the net to make it 17-7.

Jones made sure his opponent would not escape the sow, though, with a wide backhand by Weekes sealing his fate.

With RTEA Elite up 2-1, Sauna made a decision to send in Sheldene Walrond to face Kim Holder.

It proved to be a regrettable decision by the Sauna, as Walrond never turned up to the party.

In a nonchalant display, Walrond committed several service errors and sent countless forehand shots either long or into the net to give Holder, who was adjudged the Most Valuable Player (MVP), a 21-12 victory and RTEA Elite an unassailable 3-1 lead.

The Belfield Blues ‘A’ grabbed third place by edging Sauna Heat 2 three games to two in the third placed playoff.

For Belfield, Tyrico Brathwaite, Darius ‘Barracus’ Gaskin and Rachel Smith were victorious, while Shakeem Nurse and Donovan ‘Pa’ Riley won their games for the Sauna.

Sauna still had something to cheer about as the duo of Griffith and Walrond took the $500 first prize for winning the mixed doubles after they defeated Nurse and Angela Burrowes 21-17 in the final in an all Sauna affair.
randybennett@barbadostoday.bb